The Guardian and the Gate
by Nacho cheese001
Summary: Discontinued. Terra is gone, with BB's spirit shattered who will be there to help pick up the pieces? Can he find the courage, the strength to love again? What happens when prophecy threatens to tear everything apart? BBxRAE
1. Intro

Intro

First I must apologize. You were nice enough to click on the link to this story. Unfortunately I must ask you to be patient. I'd like to take this time to explain how I see the two main characters in this story, and some of my motivation for writing this. This story is set just after the end of Season 2 of the animated series. The major change for my story is Terra. She is dead. Sorry to all the BBxTerra fans out there but I just felt that since it was a kids show that they couldn't "kill" off a character. And when they set that plaque on her statue it just said "tombstone" to me. There will be some more changes as seasons 3 and 4 progress during this story, but I won't get into that here.

Now on to our lead players! Filling out the role of male lead is everyone's favorite green changeling, Garfield Logan a.k.a. Beast Boy!

Beast Boy

Age: 16

Personality in a nutshell: Dog

Beast boy's personality reminds me of that of a dog for several reasons. He is the happy go lucky prankster of the group. He gets inside others comfort zones much as a dog will jump up when excited. He is constantly trying to bring the others together into the "group" much like a dog will with their pack.

He wears his heart on his sleeve, with all of his emotions out for the world to see. That said, he does have a deeper side. A sort of quiet wisdom, seldom seen, sometimes makes itself known. More on this later.

He is intensely loyal to his friends. His promises are sacred, once given, his word is his bond. And while Beast Boy is by no means fearless, if his friends are threatened or in danger, he will not back down. Much like a gentle dog suddenly becoming ferocious defending its master or a pack mate, Beast Boy can be brave in these situations. If you threaten his friends and loved ones, LOOK OUT! He will stop at nothing to protect them. He will do everything in his power, sacrificing everything for those he cares for. And if that is still not enough he will cast aside his very humanity and unleash an unstoppable force to slash, tear, rend and maim anything between those he cares about and safety.

Raven

Age: 15

Personality in a nutshell: Cat

Raven has always struck me as a cat. Independent, aloof, and enigmatic are a few words that come to mind. She deals with others on her terms, and no one else's. She has built this image of herself as the strong loner of the group, using her own unique blend of sarcasm, dark humor, and her classic deadpan expression.

Her powers only reinforce this image. Exactly what causes her powers to go berserk when she certain emotions is unclear. Is it any emotion or is it just a few, how much of it is due to her fathers influence? All excellent questions I seek to answer in my own way.

But despite all this, the attitude, the powers, she feels more than she lets on. Underneath all of this she just wants what we all want, to be understood, accepted … Loved.

So wrapping it all up, this is my little story. I will tell you that I am drawing from some of my own feelings and emotions as I write this. How could I not? I just hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it. Please Review as feedback is always needed and appreciated. I welcome criticism as long as it is constructive criticism.

And now, on with the show!


	2. Ch1 Saying Goodbye

The morning dawned cold and wet over Jump City, dark clouds filled the sky while a cold drizzle washed the city clean. The city was still empty, the citizens having fled under the combined onslaught of Slade and Terra's now defeated forces. Slade presumably lay miles below the earth, swallowed by the subterranean lava flow Terra's powers had triggered. As for Terra herself, she had given her life to stop the lava flow and save her friends the Teen Titans.

The city would not be empty for long. Soon the citizens would come trickling back in, the day having been saved once again. 'But never at so high a price.' thought Raven. Raven stood against a wall in the common room, listening to the others without really hearing them. After returning from the chamber that Terra was now ensconced in, her body having turned entirely to stone with the expenditure of her powers, the Titans had tried to muster some sort of informal wake. They all stood around the common room sharing memories of Terra, how she had touched their lives. They were going in turn, Robin first as he was the teams leader, then Starfire, and finally Cyborg. Then it came time for Beast Boy to speak he but he just stood there, his eyes glued to the floor. He had been unable to produce words, and had then abruptly left the common room.

The rest of the team generally understood what was the matter, Beast Boy and Terra had been close. They just figured that he would be the most affected by her loss and generally agreed amongst themselves that he needed his space and time. Cyborg muttered something about fixing the T-car, and when Raven left to go to her room to meditate Starfire was still consoling Robin, telling him that it was not his fault. As Raven passed Beast Boys room she could tell what he was going through.

It didn't help that only Raven knew how close Beast Boy and Terra had been. Her gift and her curse from her powers was that she was able to pick up on the emotions of those around her, they would 'bleed over' into her consciousness and at times even impinge on her own emotions. This only complicated the fact that she had to exercise control over her emotions lest her powers overwhelm her.

Raven could feel the anguish radiating off of Beast Boy. Try as she might she simply couldn't raise her emotional shields to block out Beast Boys sorrow, as it continued to pervade her mind. She could generally block out others emotions with effort, but if there were too many people she would find herself taxed to the limit. This was not the case however. Over the years she had grown accustomed to the feel of her friends emotions, and had generally learned how to anticipate their changes of mood and block them from her. However this cut both ways, the more familiar she was with some one the more their emotions could impact her.

Robin she had observed was single minded and dedicated, he tended to focus on one mood or another but could be quick to change. Starfire's moods at first had been unpredictable and alien, but with time Raven had learned to anticipate them. Cyborg tended to wear his heart on his sleeve these days, and though she would never say it to him, his being half robotic did make his emotions follow logical paths of cause and effect. Beast Boy on the other had was different, maybe it was his shifter nature, or the fact that he had the entire animal kingdoms instincts all running around inside him, but Raven had yet to find a way to anticipate his emotions. Beast Boys moods could change far to quickly were oftentimes difficult to understand.

She slowed as she walked by, she thought she heard a low animal whine coming from Beast Boys room. Unbidden a mental image leapt into her mind, it was of Beast Boy in the form of a dog laying sadly curled on the bed. She felt guilty, she always asked others to respect her privacy and she worked hard to reign in her powers so as to give her friends theirs.

She stopped, just past his door. While Beast Boy seemingly went out of his way to annoy Raven at times, he was still her friend. And right now her friend had just lost someone very dear. She felt it fell to her to do or say something as she was the only other who knew. Not knowing what to say or even having the slightest idea of why, she tapped on Beast Boys door. The sound of rustling reached her followed quickly by her friends voice, "Yeah? Who's there?". Beast boy sniffed.

"Its Raven." She said awkwardly, after a moment. "I guess I just wanted to say I'm sorry, for you know…"

"Thanks" he replied, somberly.

"Look" she said suddenly, wanting to get it out before she changed her mind, "I know we don't always get along but if you need anything, just ask."

It was a second before he replied, "Thanks, Raven" he said, sounding a little surprised.

"Um, Yeah well… don't mention it, goodnight." She said awkwardly before hurrying off.


	3. Ch2 From the Heart

Raven's consciousness slowly rose from its slumber, fragments of dreams and nightmares drifted hazily through her mind. She struggled to recall the dream before it slipped from her. Darkness, rain, a crushing sense of despair, a white blur, a feeling, pure and shining, hope, duty, and determination. This was all she was able to recall. She would have to use her focused meditation to learn more, but there would be time for that later. She let out a sigh and rose to begin her day.

It had been weeks since Terra's death and Beast Boy was still in his fugue state. He had spent most of the time in his room, he seldom ate, and hadn't been to a single combat practice. His friends were worried about him, but generally agreed that he just needed time. The city was still trying to get back on its feet and that included the criminal element, the Titans had received no calls since Slade's defeat, but they knew they would sooner or later.

Beast boy was franticly searching his room, he was scrambling around digging through piles of unwashed clothes, shoving aside stacks of empty food containers. 'Where is it!' he thought desperately.

He stopped suddenly as his hand brushed a hard object underneath his bunk bed. He slowly pulled out a heart shaped stone box. This box represented so much, it was the box Beast Boy had made for Terra as a gift for their first date. It held in his mind all of his unrequited love, all his pain of her betrayal, and the sorrow of her loss. For a moment he just held it in his hands, letting the memories flood through him. He still loved her, even after everything she had done to him, to his friends. In the back of his mind he knew that she was gone and that one day he would have to accept that. But for now all he wanted to do was remember.

Every day he had meant to place the box along with all of Terra's other belongings into storage, but everyday he just couldn't bring himself to part with it. For a second Beast Boy toyed with the idea of keeping the box, he had made it after all, so in a way it was his. But then he sighed to himself, he knew he couldn't keep it. Keeping the box would just prolong the pain. He had gone through the same thing when his parents died all those years ago. He had clung to whatever relics of theirs he could find, but in the end he had to lay their memories to rest. He knew he had to get over this, but that didn't make it any easier.

'Later, I'll get rid of it later.' he thought as he slid the box back under his bed. Later, that seemed to be his answer to everything lately. He hadn't been able to focus on anything these days. At times he would catch himself staring into space caught up in his feelings. Worse was the indecision. With so many conflicting feelings churning around inside him, he just couldn't bring himself to do, well, anything. It was hard not being able to listen to his own heart, it was just to clouded in all the pain. As he stood up off the floor his stomach gave a low rumble of urgency.

'Well at least I can listen to one thing' he thought as he headed out the door toward the common room for a late breakfast.

Raven sat in the common room facing the window deep in her focused meditation, still trying to tease some meaning from her dream, as the other three Titans discussed their green friends recent behavior.

"I am most worried about friend Beast Boy" exclaimed Starfire, "He neither laughs nor smiles, nor makes the cracking of the jokes."

"He's just upset Starfire" Robin said, "though I've never seen him like this."

"I tried to get him to play the new Mega Monkeys the other day, I even offered to play with only one hand." Cyborg said exasperated. "The guy just muttered something about his room and left."

"He hasn't been to training either." Robin said seriously, "You know this lull in crime won't last forever."

"Perhaps he would like some Banishing of the Depression pudding?" said Starfire hopefully.

"Uh somehow I don't think that would help, Star." Cyborg said quickly.

"I've been meaning to talk to you guys about something, its about Beast Boy" began Robin, his voice adopting its tone of authority. "I know he's going through a tough time right now, what with Terra and all. So I think that until he starts feeling like his old self again I'm thinking of taking him off of the active duty roster."

Raven was barely registering this, the dream had suddenly taken form in her mind. _A white knight was stumbling through a rainstorm, he stumbled barely catching himself. The reason lay on his chest, his breastplate was rent and torn his chest wounded and bleeding. He knelt in the mud unable or perhaps unwilling to rise. Until a most miraculous thing had happened, a flower had floated before him drawing his gaze upward once more. Gently grasping the flower he had slowly risen to his feet, and with a renewed strength and purpose strode forward once more no longer stumbling but striding boldly, the flower clutched tightly in his hand. _

For some reason Raven felt one of her extra senses trying to tell her something, urging her to act, she had to say something, right now!

"No!" she cried.

The others turned in surprise to look at her. Raven shocked by her own outburst said nothing.

"Uh, no what, Raven?" Said Cyborg cautiously.

Raven took a moment to compose herself, what was she supposed to say, they were talking about Beast Boy, something about taking him off of active duty, she just remembered. She didn't know what to say, or why she had to say it, but she definitely _felt_ that she had to. So took a moment and looked inside herself, and when she spoke it was from the heart.

"He's stronger than you think." she said in a quiet voice. She waited, there was more, "No matter what he's going through, no matter what has happened he'll always be there when we need him. I think we should leave that decision up to him, he's never let us down before." She said all of this simply, and quickly resumed her meditation.

The others sat there stunned for a moment. It was Cyborg who broke the silence. "She's got a point you know." he said.

"I guess she's right this should be his decision" Robin said, "We'll just give him more time I guess."

Beast Boy stood rooted to the spot, just outside of the common room doors. When Cyborg had designed the doors to the tower he had made them reinforced and thick. While this was a security measure it also prevented eavesdropping, except no one really knew just how acute Beast Boys senses were. He had been just about to go into the common room when he had heard them talking about him. He had listened while they had talked about how worried they were about him, and then he had heard Robin talk about taking him off of active duty. He knew they cared for him and only wanted what was best, but he couldn't help feeling somewhat disappointed. He felt disappointed by this opinion of him, and he couldn't help but feel disgusted with his current condition, maybe they were right, maybe he wasn't fit for saving the city.

He was about to turn and go back to his room without eating, when he had heard her. Raven. His sensitive ears had picked up every word that she had said. He hadn't known that she had thought that much of him. Stunned, Beast Boy turned and slowly walked back to his room, Ravens words echoing within him 'He's stronger than you think.'


	4. Ch3 Forged Anew

Days later, Beast Boy was once again in his room, he had skipped breakfast again, and wasn't sure if he could rouse himself for lunch. He had seriously meant to go to practice this morning, but when the time came he just couldn't. He knew that Robin would be angry with him, but somehow he just didn't care.

'What have I become?' he thought darkly. He sighed, but then remembered what he had overheard just days before.

'He's stronger than you think.' Raven's words once again ran through his mind.

'Am I?' Beast Boy wondered. He had been touched by her words. 'Could I really be what she thinks I am?' he pondered.

Raven sat in the common room. She was catching up on some light reading after her morning meditation. She closed her eyes to clear her mind, even from here she could tell that Beast Boy was feeling depressed. Normally at this range she could only pick up on feelings if she was actually trying to. But as she had found out months before, Beast Boys emotions were different.

Just then the lights in the tower began to flash red and the Titans alarm was blaring. Robin and Starfire ran into the common room followed quickly by Cyborg.

"Yo, what's up?" bellowed Cyborg.

"Cinderblock is attacking a bus depot downtown." Robin exclaimed before adding, "Where's Beast Boy?"

Raven sighed, she should have known this would happen. 'The alarm just went off-' she suddenly paused, mid sentence. Could what she was feeling from Beast Boy be right?

In his room Beast Boy reflexively leapt to his feet when the alarm sounded. He glanced down at the heart shaped stone box still in his hands. Sorrow threatened to overwhelm him once more. 'NO!' he thought loudly. 'I can do this! I have to do this! What if something happened to an innocent bystander or worse one of my friends because I was too darn sad to set foot out of my room!' He quickly set the box down on his bed, gave it one last glance, and sprinted out of his room. Duty called.

Back in the common room Raven was stunned by what she was feeling through Beast Boy. In her mind she could almost see the pieces of Beast Boys broken heart suddenly jerk upward and jam themselves together into a solid mass once more. It was far from perfect and many of the cracks ran deep, but he was whole again, if only for now. He had forged himself anew through sheer force of will, she didn't know that he had it in him. _'Or did you?' _a small voice in the back of her mind said gently.

Robin frowned and glanced to the common room doors, "We can't wait forever, lets go." The rest of the team frowned and murmured in agreement, and began to leave. All except Raven. Was she wrong? What was she felt true? Robin was nearly out the door, "You coming Raven?"

Why was she doing this? "One second" she said simply. Robin turned, a frown creasing his face, "Raven…" he began. Just then the common room doors hissed open, out came one green changeling determination on his face and purpose in his stride. He was halfway across the room when he stopped, "We doing this or what?" he asked looking straight ahead at Robin. "Uh, yeah" replied a stunned Robin, "It's good to see you up and at it." He turned and rushed out the door, leaving Beast Boy and Raven standing in the room.

Raven was about to follow Robin out when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She stood there for a second stunned, "Hey Raven, Thanks". She felt his hand withdraw and he walked past her, toward the door. She was still standing there when he turned, flashing his characteristic smile with just a hint of fang showing, "So, you coming?" he said with a nod of the head.


	5. Ch4 The Battle

The downtown of Jump city was bathed in the light of the late morning sun. The air was pleasantly warm, with just a bit of a breeze, all in all it was a perfect day. Or it would have been if not for the destruction being wrought by a fifteen foot tall living mass of stone known as Cinderblock. People ran screaming for cover as the stone behemoth hefted a four door sedan and hurled it right at a bus full of screaming tourists.

The sedan spun end over end in the air, its trajectory spelling doom for the unfortunate passengers in the bus. The people screamed in terror as the car loomed over the bus, awaiting the deadly impact. Waiting… waiting…. One man, a 32 year old stockbroker just returning from a relaxing weekend getaway dared to peek open his eyes. 79J501. Five letters and a J? The man could feel his brain trying to wrap itself around the numbers and the lone consonant. 79J501, that sounded suspiciously like a license plate he finally deduced. The people in the bus gaped in disbelief at the four door sedan encased in dark energy floating just inches away.

"I see no one ever bothered to teach you the proper parking techniques, Cinderblock" said a brash young voice. Cinderblock turned to see five small (to him) figures standing boldly in the middle of the street. Robin stood boldly in the front, "Last chance to come quietly." he said threateningly. Cinderblock simply chuckled at this and charged the group, his fist raised menacingly. Raven, already holding the sedan with her powers decided to simply return it to him. "Here, catch." she said simply before hurling the car at him with her telekinesis.

The car caught the charging stone monster in the knees mid stride, causing him to pitch forward and strike the ground with a hearty "ka thud". (authors note: hey at least its better than Pow! or Biff!) Cinderblock immediately stood and moved his almost nonexistent neck from side to side, a stone grinding noise was heard.

"Titans, Go!" called robin, and the battle was joined.

Cyborg was blasting away with his sonic cannon, its beam sweeping over Cinderblocks stone hide, leaving little damage, but slowing him down nonetheless. Starfire was flying Robin in at high speed to deliver a devastating combo attack, the result of which was Robins size 10 steel boot being delivered at high speed to Cinderblocks head. Raven was floating around at a distance using her powers to try and restrain Cinderblock and generally hamper his movements. Beast Boy had morphed into a large green bull and was delivering a full speed charge to the villains lower back.

Cinderblock, showing his typical fortitude was taking the best the team could throw at him and shaking it off like nothing. He was using his massive fists to deliver devastating slams against the ground where a little green changeling had just been. Beast Boy was dangling upside down in the air five feet from the crater that would have been his final resting place. His legs were incased in black energy, "Heh, thanks Raven" he said sheepishly. "No problem" she said in her typical monotone, before dumping him unceremoniously on the ground.

She turned back to the battle to find that Starfire was in trouble. She was being held beneath a massive stone foot, Cinderblock grinning evilly as he slowly began to apply more and more pressure to the young tammeranean. The stone giant hefted a nearby bus, now empty of passengers thankfully, and raised it over his head, apparently he didn't know the meaning of the word overkill. "Azerath, Metrion, Zinthos!" she cried turning her telekinetic powers to help her companion break free. Thick bands of black energy wrapped themselves around Cinderblocks foot, preventing him from crushing Starfire.

The stone giant pressed harder, still preventing the young alien girl from escaping, but not getting that nice squishing sound he was hoping for. In anger he hurled the bus as hard as he could at the witch preventing him from squishing the alien. "Raven look out!" cried Beast Boy. Raven saw the bus and easily dodged it in the air, it went sailing right past her. She was going to apply more pressure to try and free Starfire when she felt Beast Boys heart skip a beat.

"Whats the…" she started as she turned to see Beast Boy standing rooted to the spot in the street, a look of utmost horror upon his face. Raven followed his gaze, the bus still in midair was heading right for an unattended child cowering next to a tree. Robin and Cyborg were to far away to do anything, and she was the only thing keeping Starfire from becoming so much gum under the stone giants shoe. "Beast Boy!" she yelled in panic. Beast Boys head snapped up to her, his eyes wide with fright, and then back to the child. Snapped out of his trance Beast Boy charged forward already in cheetah form.

Raven could feel everything coming off of him, the panic, the fear, and the determination. He was moving faster than she had ever seen him move, even for his cheetah form. The bus twisted in midair, revolving slowly, its shadow inching closer to where the child crouched unable to move for fright.

His muscles burning, his tendons straining Beast Boy pushed himself harder and faster than he ever thought possible. He pushed everything else out of his mind, the only thing that mattered was the child, and the small matter of the 3 tons of oncoming metal death. He would do this, he had to do this, he must do this.

Raven watched in awe as Beast Boy approached the child, the bus nearly on top of them. 10 feet, Beast Boy was dodging wreckage from a previously hurled car, weaving in and out with a fluid grace. 5 feet, Beast Boys claws were scoring the open asphalt beneath him. 3 feet, Raven realized in horror that he wasn't going to make it, the bus was going to…

At the last second Beast Boy brought his hind legs forward fully coiled and sprang into a leap, devouring the final distance from him and the child, he transformed back to normal and he lunged for the child. The bus came down with a sickening thud. Shattered glass poured onto the pavement. Raven's eyes widened in horror, had he just…? Robin cried out, "Beast Boy!" in panic. Raven felt numb inside, a cold feeling gripped her heart, until she felt something. She felt, amazement. She looked across the street to see a young green changing slowly standing up, a young child held protectively in his arms.

A crowd of nearby bystanders burst into cheers and applause. They had seen the whole thing from a proper vantage point. They had seen the hurtling green shape shifter grab the child and tuck into a roll that carried them clear of the bus. But into the building across the street. Beast Boy stood, albeit weakly.

Starfire worked her way free and delivered a devastating uppercut to Cinderblock's head. He fell over, oddly enough, like a ton of bricks. Raven floated slowly to the ground, trying every trick she knew to keep her emotions under control.

Robin and Starfire were busy restraining the now unconscious Cinderblock. Cyborg and Raven made there way over to where Beast Boy was standing, surrounded by cheering onlookers. The crowd was amazed by the boys miraculous rescue of the child, and Raven had to admit, she was as well, a little. Beast Boy just stood there no silly grin on his face, but instead a halfhearted smile, and downcast eyes. Raven couldn't feel anything from him, his emotions were being drown out by the crowd surrounding him.

Later after the police had cordoned of the scene, and were preparing to ship Cinderblock away to a newer super max facility, the Titans stood together. "That was amazing lil dude!" Cyborg said enthusiastically, clapping Beast Boy on the back. "Yes, you rescue was most fortuitous!" gushed Starfire. Beast Boy just stood there, the same half hearted grin on his face, his eyes never seeming to stray from his shoes.

Robin walked back over to the group after conferring with the police. "Well Cinderblock won't be going anywhere anytime soon at least. They're putting him up in a new facility specially they've had specially made." he said in his businesslike tone. "Good job team, especially you Beast Boy, way to go." he said approvingly.

Beast Boy looked up at this, he seemed lost from the look on his face. "Heh, yeah, just lucky I guess…" he trailed off, his voice falsely enthusiastic. Raven still couldn't get anything coming off of him, to many people around she figured. She knew something was wrong, she just couldn't imagine what. "Well guys I'm going to head off for awhile." Beast Boy said suddenly. He turned away and began to walk off, his hands in his pockets.

"Where are you going, dude?" asked Cyborg curiously. Beast Boy didn't even turn around to reply, didn't even stop walking, "Need to think, go someplace… I'll be back later." he said quietly. Robin frowned, "Alright, just don't be gone to long, and leave your communicator on incase something comes up." Beast Boy just continued walking until he rounded the corner and was gone.

Cyborg looked back to the others, "And here I thought he was getting better." he said with a concerned voice. Raven watched Beast Boy go, wondering the entire time what could possibly be going on in that little green head of his, "So did I Cyborg. So did I." she said.


	6. Ch5 In that Moment

Ch5

_Running…the feel of the earth speeding by…rain pelting fur…the smell of wet fresh earth… and prey…teeth and claws flexing in anticipation…a sight of its prey…running faster now…closer…closer…_

Rain poured from the night sky, lashing against the windows of the Titans tower. Raven lay in her room, wishing for sleep that just would not come. She lay in the darkness staring up at the ceiling, the occasional flash of lightning illuminating the room. Her eyes fell upon the clock, 11:38. Frustrated she stood up stretching, gathered her cloak about her, and headed out.

She was headed to the common room, but on an impulse made her way to Beast Boys door. She couldn't feel anything, but he could be sleeping. She knocked on his door, and waited. Hearing nothing, she knocked again. Nothing. "Beast Boy" she called, unsure. She tried to door, and found it unlocked.

Beast Boys room was dark, with only the light from the now slightly ajar door providing illumination. In the narrow beam of light, Raven could make out several piles of clothing, old food containers, and assorted junk. Suppressing a shudder at the thought of what may lie within those piles on the floor, Raven lifted herself off of the floor using her powers, and floated inside. "Beast Boy" she whispered, not wanting to wake him if he was sleeping. The bottom bunk on his bunk bed was empty, the sheets still tangled into an unmanageable mass. She was about to float up to check the top bunk when something caught her eye.

A flash of lightning had temporarily illuminated the entire room, and Raven had seen something flash somewhere in the mass of sheets on Beast Boys bed. Making her way over to the bed in the darkness she reached for the object. Her fingers brushed a cold stone surface and suddenly an intense burst of emotion exploded in her head. She jerked back in surprise. Another burst of lightning illuminated the room, suddenly Raven turned to spot a figure standing in the room. The momentary flash of light had reflected a deep hunger in the figures eyes.

Raven gave a startled cry of surprise which caused the window to crack. "Raven?" a familiar voice asked. Light flooded the room, temporarily blinding her. When she opened her eyes the figure that had startled her had been replaced by a familiar green teenager. "Beast Boy!" she said exasperated, "You surprised me." She had a moment to take in his appearance. Droplets of water were still clinging to his uniform which had become slightly ripped and torn in places. Mud was caked on his shoes, and his gloves… his gloves were shredded.

"Are you alright?" she asked with a note of concern in her voice. Beast Boy noticing Ravens attention on his gloves quickly held his hands behind him. "Uh yeah, yeah, fine. Just fine." he said all to quickly. "Say what are you doing in my room?" he quickly added.

"I just wanted to see if you were back yet. Did you just get in?" She said eying him suspiciously.

"Heh, heh. Yeah I guess I am, and I'd really appreciate it if you kept that to yourself though." he said with his hand ruffling the hair on the back of his head, a guilty look on his face.

"Where were you? You just kind of took off after the fight." She asked suddenly, normally she wouldn't press this hard but Beast Boy had been acting odd lately. And then there was that look in his eyes she thought she had seen, what was that all about?

At the mention of the fight Beast Boy stiffened. He looked down to the floor, unable to meet her eyes. Raven could feel a deep guilt settle into his center, clawing at his insides. 'Something is definitely wrong." she thought. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing, nothings wrong." he replied feebly.

Raven was irritated at his denial, she didn't need to be an empath to tell that he was lying.

"Beast Boy" she began, a note of anger in her voice. "Something is obviously wrong. What is it?"

Rising to her challenge Beast Boy spoke with anger in his voice, "Nothing, nothing is wrong. And even if there were, which there isn't, it doesn't concern you." As he spoke his eyes flashed with anger, but as soon as it had come, it had passed. Once the words were out of his mouth, he seemed to instantly deflate, all the energy seeping out of him.

"Doesn't concern me?" Raven's anger starting to mount, "Fine then." She began to walk toward the door. There was to much emotion in the room, any more and her powers might lash out again. Better to just leave. She clamped down hard on her emotions, she must maintain control. She was nearly past him when she felt him grab her wrist.

"I'm sorry." his voice was small and quiet.

"Beast Boy…" she began irritably, intending to tell him off for grabbing her arm.

"No, please. Wait." It was the please that caught her, she realized suddenly he was almost begging her.

"I…" he choked out. "I had to leave, I couldn't stand it. All those people, acting like they were proud of me, treating me like some kind of hero." He was almost sobbing now. Raven was bewildered, easing up on her emotions she could tell that this anguish he was feeling was genuine. She just couldn't understand why he would be feeling this.

Turning to face him, she saw that his eyes were screwed shut in an effort to hold back what surly must be tears.

"Beast Boy, how could you say that? You saved that girl, you _are_ a hero." she said admonishingly.

Beast Boy let out a cry in anguish, "No! I'm not! Don't you get it Raven? Didn't you see?"

"See what?" she asked confused.

"I froze." he said simply, his voice going quiet once more.

"You what?" she asked, still not understanding.

"I froze! I saw what was happening, and I just froze!" he was practically shouting now.

'Thank goodness for soundproof walls' Raven thought silently. She was still trying to wrap her mind around what he was saying. Had he froze? She replayed the battle in her mind. She hadn't been looking in the direction the child had been, she hadn't looked until she had felt something from Beast Boy.

"Three seconds Rae. I stood there for three whole seconds. I realized it just as he was throwing the bus. I couldn't move. I didn't know what to do. I saw her Rae, I saw them, all the ones I couldn't save. If you hadn't yelled, I… I…" He was shaking now, tears falling freely. Raven could feel the guilt eating him alive, she could almost see the mass that was his heart slowly starting to wither, this was so close to being the final blow that could shatter him forever.

She knew she must choose her words carefully. Saying the wrong thing now would be disastrous. She looked within her and suddenly the words were there.

"Beast Boy" she said, a soothing note in her voice, "You can't blame yourself, and you can't destroy yourself over what might have been. You saved that girl."

"But…" He interrupted.

"No buts" she said firmly, "You can't worry about it, only learn from it and move on. You have some problems to work out, yes, but what matters is that no one was hurt. What you did was heroic, you saved that child from a certain death, and don't let anything tell you otherwise." She waited, trying to discern if her words were having any effect.

Beast Boy just stood there, he looked at her through watery eyes. This meant the world to him, he had felt so lost, so alone, and here she was comforting him. In his mind he knew that were it coming from anyone else, he couldn't believe them. But from Raven, who so seldom let her feelings show, who so seldom opened up to others, he knew she was being honest, he knew she was speaking from the heart. In that moment he had never felt closer to her.

Raven could tell that what she had told him was helping, he was no longer shaking, no longer crying. She feel her words sinking into him, healing the wounds, sealing the cracks in the mass that was his heart. She could feel all of this, and a small unidentifiable something as well.

'This feels good' she thought, 'to be able to be there for a friend. To be able to help.'

(Authors note: if you think that it is uncharicteristic of Raven to show such emotion then you are right.)


	7. Ch 6 Suddenly Explaned

Ch6

The two of them just stood there in Beast Boys room. Time seemed an inconstant thing, for it had slowed to an infinitesimal crawl. Beast Boy stood there, his emotions raging inside him like a whirlwind, not knowing what he was feeling, but it felt… good. Raven stood there, her own emotions lit up with a warm glow she had never felt before.

'No that's not true.' she thought. 'This is familiar, I've felt this before. I just can't think of when, or where.'

The moment seemed to pass and time seemed to regain its normal flow. Raven noticed a pleasant warm pressure around her hand. 'Hmm, that's odd' she thought.

Looking down her eyes widened in surprise as she saw Beast Boys hand clasping her own. Her brain finally jumped into gear, she recalled that he had gripped her hand to stop her from leaving… over five minutes ago.

Her powers chose that moment to assert themselves, by blowing out the lights in Beast Boys room, plunging the two once more into darkness.

"Umm Beast Boy" she said in an awkward tone.

"Yeah Raven?" he asked.

"You can let go of my hand now." she said, color starting to creep up into her face.

"Huh?" he said bewildered. Raven glanced down, Beast Boy followed her eyes. Only now did the pleasurable warm feeling he was getting from his hand make sense.

"Oh! Um, sorry." he said quickly as he released her hand, beginning to blush.

"Right" she said stiffly. Beast Boy noticed as her entire demeanor changed. For a short time she had been lost in the moment, now she was back in her shell.

"Well, I should probably go" Raven continued, her tone flat and stiff.

"Yeah" Beast Boy sighed. She turned to leave.

"Raven" he said quickly. She stopped.

"Thanks…Again…" he said, simply.

She continued out the door without so much as a word.

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Sleep came hard and fast for Beast Boy. His dreams were raw and lucid, less like dreams and more like, something else…

_Body contracting in pain…Muscles rippling…Bones shifting…Fingers lengthening, growing long powerful talons…Raw instinct clouding mind…strength…power…Not weak…but Powerful…_

_Running for the sheer joy of it…Talons slashing cross the trees for no reason than to marvel at the strength…_

_The trees around him turning to blurs…rain blurring vision…scent of the rabbit…a flash of white fur…the chase…the pounce…the kill…_

He awoke drenched in sweat, his breath coming in quick gasps. He quickly sat up, his mind whirling. 'How did I get back here?' he wondered.

'The last thing I remember was walking out to a park near the woods, after the fight yesterday.'

No that wasn't right, he did remember something else. 'I remember climbing into bed, and something before that as well. Something, nice.'

And then like a kick to the head it all came rushing back to him, well almost all of it.

'Raven, I remember finding her, here in my room.' he realized in amazement.

He remembered the things she had said, her comforting words, and a wonderful moment they had shared together, but it had ended all to soon. 'But why can't I remember anything else about last night?' he thought desperately.

---------------------------

Beast Boy was still trying desperately remember as he approached the common room. Even from the hallway he could smell the aroma of freshly baked waffles, toast, and bacon. 'Cyborg' he thought. His eyes narrowed and a slight grin appeared on his face. He loved their morning ritual of arguing over meat products at the breakfast table. He was already dreaming just what to say as he strolled in through the door. He was starting to feel like his old self again.

Starfire sat at the table, contentedly eating a large helping of what looked like eggs benedict covered entirely in mustard. Cyborg was busily frying up some poor creatures flesh at the stove, humming a tune that sounded suspiciously like, "he'll shoot a rocket from his foot! Cuz he's Cyborg!". All while Robin sat on the couch, his face hidden by this mornings newspaper. Starfire looked up from her food.

"Salutations friend Beast Boy!" she said excitedly, "Are you joining us for the break of the fast?"

Beast Boy smiled, in many ways Starfire was the mother figure of the team. She cared for each of her friends deeply, and although she was a bit naïve she could generally tell if any of them were feeling down. She had seemed to have made it her personal mission to spread joy and cheer to them all.

"Yo B! Good to see you this morning man!" cyborg said jovially. "You finally ready to start your day right with some eggs and bacon?" he teased. Beast Boy smiled inwardly, Cyborg knew that he was a vegetarian, but admit it or not Cyborg seemed to relish their meat arguments as much as he did. Cyborg was the older brother of the team, poking fun at someone was his way of showing that he cared.

"Beast Boy, nice to see you." said Robin glancing up from his paper. "I hope you weren't out to late last night." he addedd, slipping into his leadership tone. Robin, he was the father figure to the team. As their leader he kept them focused and disciplined. However he was a tad strict and at times a bit obsessive.

Beast Boy was about to reply to this outpouring of affection when he happened to glimpse the television. A news caster was soundlessly narrating some top story, but this was not what caused Beast Boys pulse to skyrocket as he noticed it. It was the picture of a tree in the upper right of the screen. The tree bore three large parallel slashes across its mighty bark. The slashes reached from the surface of the bark to the depths of the large hardwood.

_Talons slashing cross the trees for no reason than to marvel at the strength…_

'Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap' was all his brain could produce.

At the moment no one was looking at the screen, they were all looking at him. He couldn't let on that anything was wrong. 'I can do this, I can do this' he repeated in his head.

"Hey…uh, guys." he said nervously.

"Friend Beast Boy, are alright?" Starfire enquired with a look of concern.

"Uh yeah, just tired from yesterday is all." he lied. "Oh and Cyborg, you can keep your fried dead flesh to yourself thank you." he added in what he hoped was a light tone.

This seemed to satisfy everyone as they returned to their previous activities. Cyborg to his cooking, Starfire to her mustard garnished with eggs, and Robin looking up at the television.

The smells from the cooking were very enticing, and although he couldn't recall eating since yesterday, Beast Boy found that he was unable to muster his appetite. For some reason he just wasn't hungry.

'Wait, Robin looking up at the television!' his brain screamed at him. Beast Boy could only stand there as the boy wonders hand hefted the remote and turned the volume up on the television.

"-experts say the tracks do not match any known animal or creature in the area or nearby locals. Further more they say that the markings on the trees in the surrounding area in question cannot be matched to any known species at this time. Officials are cautioning the public at this time, the creature or creatures that caused this destruction are assumed to be highly dangerous."

Beast Boy stood once more rooted to the spot, his instincts pulling him in a hundred different directions at once. His brain was slowly mulling something over while stomach started to turn. 'Hmm wait, didn't I dream something about a rabbit.' he thought.

His lack of hunger was suddenly explained.

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AN: Sorry for the wait on the new chapter. Life happens I guess... Just remember more reveiws quicker updates! Thanks to all who have reviewed.


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